Links


The Pentagon Papers: Secrets, Lies, and Audio Tapes is a web-based archive of the legal case that that deal with the Pentagon Papers. Administrated by the National Security Archive at George Washington University, and curated by Thomas Blanton and John Prados, co-author of Inside the Pentagon Papers, it hosts a full set of the documents from the case itself, as well as information about how the record at the Supreme Court was compiled.

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Supreme Court Filings (pdf):

Other Key Holdings:





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PBS Frontline: NewsWars is a four-part special produced for Public Broadcasting’s award-winning investigative reporting series. This series of one-hour programs examines the relationship between the press and the government, specifically the increase in secrecy in the Bush administration. The massive reporting project involved more than 50 interviews with the nation’s most prominent news figures and newsmakers.

Special Pentagon Papers related features:





Senator Gravel Edition of the Pentagon Papers:

Because the Pentagon Papers entered into the public record by Alaska Senator Mike Gravel were not copyrighted, they are available on the web in both text and PDF format. This allows you to read the entire contents of the papers in their original format. Many find the newspaper accounts more helpful in placing the events in context, but the source material is available and was personal redacted by Sen. Gravel.

The book itself was published under enormous pressure by Beacon Press in Boston, which is the independent publishing company of the Unitarian Universalist Association.

The story of the publication itself was the subject of a Masters Thesis by a current Beacon Press staff member Alison Trzop. During the course of the legal battle, the FBI illegally seized the financial records of the church, and because Senator Gravel invoked his ‘Speech and Debate Clause’ protection, the case eventually made it to the Supreme Court.

This 35th anniversary of publication of the Gravel Edition by Beacon press was the subject of a recent UUA National Meeting.  Video from the event is available in excerpt versions of various lengths, a full version, or in the form of a report by event narrator and Democracy Now host Amy Goodman.





The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer: Free Speech with Ben Bradlee. When PBS’s nightly news anchor sits down with Ben Bradlee, the Post‘s executive editor and lead character in Top Secret, the conversation ranges from the Watergate break-in to the rush of the ‘scoop,’ to the negotiations with government sources and the press’s treatment of anonymity. With material in both audio and transcript form, the site goes far in capturing the career of the storied newswriter and newsmaker.

Special Features:

  • The site features a quiz about journalistic ethics in which you sit in Ben Bradlee’s shoes making the tough calls about publication of sensitive information, granting sources anonymity, and other materials.





The 30th Anniversary of the Pentagon Papers was the occasion of a conference hosted by the Vietnam Veterans of America at the National Press Club. The event brought together a wide variety of veterans, scholars, reporters, and legal specialists.





The Pentagon Papers and What They Mean Today is a podcast of a 35th anniversary retrospective sponsored by the New York Times. Hosted by Managing Editor Jill Abramson, the paper looks back at the tradition of investigative journalism at the paper. Coming on the heels of the Times‘ Pulitzer Prize for its NSA wiretapping story, this discussion has particular topicality.

Allan Siegal one of the reporters assigned to the Pentagon Papers and now the Times‘ standards editor, joins First Amendment Lawyer Floyd Abrams and NSA Wiretapping Reporter James Risen for the discussion.





Ellsberg.Net is the homepage for Daniel Ellsberg, which collects his writings, speeches, book reviews, and presentations.

Some particularly topical recent articles by Ellsberg:

  • Commentary on the ACLU v. NSA case, in which the ACLU tries to prevent government eavesdropping on Americans without warrants.

  • “Where Are Iraq’s Pentagon Papers?” a Boston Globe op-ed that asks why those with information that could have, or could still, reduce casualties in the Iraq War don’t come forward with the information.

  • Audio of an interview with NPR’s Tavis Smiley.

  • A review of Ellsberg’s memoirs in the London Review of Books.

  • An interview encouraging leaks in the Guardian.

  • An article in the Harvard International Review about preventing government officials’ confidentiality code from requiring them to mislead Congress.





Government Secrecy Resources

  • Project on Government Secrecy
    Run by the Federation of American Scientists, this website tracks government secrecy and the implications of unfolding developments by the government. Its strong use of Freedom of Information Act, especially in the area of national security, led to the discovery of the refusal of the Vice-President’s refusal to comply with its reporting to the Information Security Oversight Office.

  • Government Accountability Project
    This site supports whistleblowers, providing national legal services clearinghouse, as well as reports tracking the effectiveness of whistleblower statutes in states and on the federal level.

  • National Whistleblower Center
    This site tracks news and supports federal legislation of interest to whistleblowers.

  • OpenTheGovernment.org
    More an activist group than a pure resource, this group adds to the discussion by advocating more transparent decision-making.

  • Coalition of Journalist for Open Government
    As watchdogs on behalf of FOIA, state sunshine laws, the classification system, this site has reports on progress as well as practical guides.





Educational Resources

The L.A. Theatre Works Teacher’s Guide to Top Secret was produced in conjunction with the 1991 Radio version of the production as part of its “Alive and Aloud: Radio Plays for Learning in the Classroom” program and is suited for students in middle to lower high-school, and includes bibliography, context.

As noted in the Resources section, several curriculum and textbooks are available for various instructional levels:

The American Journalism Review‘s “AJR in the Classroom” program provides a lesson plan for questions about how to consider whether sensitive information should be published, appropriate for journalism classes at the high school or college level. The exercise is based on an article that examines recent trends in publication or withholding of publication.

Additionally, the web features examples of excellent student projects about the Pentagon Papers on the high school and college levels.





Recent News Retrospectives

The Presses Must Roll, by Gary Kamiya in Salon.com (July 1, 2003). Salon’s executive editor, takes a look back at the case and provides a helpful overview.

Hey, hey, LBJ, got any secrets to throw my way? By George Wilson (July 29, 2006). Former Washington Post military correspondent George Wilson recounts the episode of his courtroom encounter with the Pentagon Papers for the Watchdog Project of the Nieman Foundation at Harvard University.

Nat Hentoff, columnist and First Amendment advocate, draws parallels between Pentagon papers and today’s issues in a two-part column:

Public Secrets by Robert Kaiser (June 11, 2006). Long-time Post Managing Editor reviews that paper’s recent record in light of its Pentagon Papers history.

Secrets and the Press by H.D.S. Greenway (January 17, 2006). Boston Globe columnist draws parallels between NSA wiretapping story and the Pentagon Papers Cases.





Journalism Links:

Numerous web-based resources for journalism practice, ethics, advocacy, and investigation can be found online. This list is only a starting point.